There are numerous international organizations focused on environmental issues. These organizations include both nongovernmental and intergovernmental organizations.
Environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGO’s) are scientific, or public-interest organizations that are neither affiliated with nor under the direction of a government. NGO’s are created by private individuals or organizations and not by agreement among countries.
Intergovernmental organizations (IGO’s) or international governmental organizations, on the other hand, are are organizations which are primarily made up of sovereign states. These IGO’s operate under the supervision and control of their government(s).
Some examples of environmental NGO’s include: Earthrights International, Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide, Friends of the Earth, Forest Trends, Global Exchange, Rainforest Action Network, World Resources Institute, and World Wildlife Fund..
Some examples of environmental IGO’s include: Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, Helsinki Commission- Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Global Environment Facility Secretariat, Convention on biological diversity, International Whaling Commission, OSPAR Commission for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and World Conservation Union.